[CPEO-MEF] Utah RDX Suit

[Steve@miltoxproj.org]

NewsNet by Brigham Young University
Mapleton files suit over water contamination
By Michael Pedersen
NewsNet Staff Writer
8 Nov 2002

The city of Mapleton filed a $34 million lawsuit to force the owners of
the Trojan Powder Plant in southern Utah County to repair soils
contaminated with chemicals some residents believe have poisoned them.

City leaders also want the company, Connecticut-based Ensign-Bickford,
to build the city a new municipal water well

The lawsuit, filed in 4th District Court Wednesday, comes after Mapleton
Mayor Dean Allan asked Ensign-Bickford to pay for a well to be dug a
safe distance from a contamination trail that contains the
compound RDX, produced during the manufacture of explosives.

Mapleton citizens suspect there is a link between RDX (Royal Demolition
Explosives) and cancer in humans through the contamination of water.

Mapleton is concerned RDX is leaching toward the city's remaining
municipal water wells.

Although this has yet to be proven, Ensign-Bickford settled seven
federal lawsuits filed by current and former Mapleton residents for six
cases of cancer and one case of an unspecified ailment.

[THIS ARTICLE CAN BE VIEWED AT:
http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/40780 ]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~